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Tales from the Historic Native American Oil Pipeline Protest

Submitted by Sana R. Gondal on Mon, 09/19/2016 - 02:05

A protest of incredible and historical scale is happening near Cannonball, North Dakota. Thousands of Native Americans have gathered at the Standing Rock preservation in camps to protest the building of the $4 billion Bakken Pipeline. Considered the largest gathering in over a 100 years, this one includes members from 280 indigenous tribes. They have travelled from all across America to protest the building of the oil pipeline which will run through Dakota, crossing hundreds of waterways down to the Midwest. The pipeline will also weave its way through many sacred sites, and any one leakage in the pipe will spill onto and affect most of the water bodies it will go through. The risk of fracture and destruction is severe, and the protest is done mainly to stop any further potential damage - because water is sacred; "mni wiconi: water is life."

In the accounts in the article, journalists question the protestors about their own personal causes regarding their arrival at the camp location. What follows are tales of personal commitment to both the environment, and also individual causes such as legacy, gender, and faith.

The journies made by the protestors range in distances travelled, but also difficulties undergone. It is indeed an event that is the first of its kind due to the unity and diversity of the amount of people that have arrived. The coverage this event lacks is ominous, due to the sheer immensity and gravity of the movement.